Electric railway



(No Model.)

W. GANNELL.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

No. 404,469. PatentedJune 4, 1889 ...l lll uA Firms. nmmmgnpher. wmangnm. n.1;

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

WVILLIAM- CANNELL, OF CLEVELAND, vOI-IIO.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 404,469, dated June 4, 1889.

Application filed July 2, 1888. Serial No. 278,806. (No model.)

T0 all whom it 11mg/ concern:

Be it known that I, "WILLIAM CANNELL, a citizen of Great Britain, and a resident of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ollio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification, the principle of the invention heilig herein explained, and the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle so as to distinguish it from other inventions.

My invention consists of theimprovements hereinafter described and claimed.

Figure l is a transverse vertical sectional view taken through the rail, sleeper, conduit, carriage, and connecting parts. Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the carriage and connecting parts, taken on the dotted line of Fig.

' 1 and in the direction indicated by thearrow.

Fig.-3 is a face view of the rail-pin. Fig. 4. is a transverse vertical section of my preferred form of overhead conduit and connecting parts, certain portions being broken away. Fig. 5 is a similar View of a modified form of overhead conduit.

A is a longitudinal sleeper, having secured to its upper face the rail A', that is provided with the side fiange a, covering va portion of the outer side of the sleeper, the upper face of said rail projecting beyond the upper face of the sleeper. I secure the rail to the sleeper by the bolt a', provided at its lower portion with slot a2, through which passes the horizontal bolt a3, that acts as a cotter to retain said forlmer bolt in position and securely hold the rai Bolted to and rising from the transverse sleeper B is .the wall B', having horizontal :flange b formed at its upper portion, slot b being formed between the inner face of the rail and said flange.

A longitudinal groove c2 is formed in said sleeper, and secured within this is the conduit C, composed of vulcanized ber or some such suitable material, said conduit being held in position by hanger C', bolted to the sleeper at suitable intervals. Secured within the conduit by means of the strips c, that are tacked or otherwise secured within the conduit, are the two conductors D D, respectively positive and negative.

Beneath the conduit, and securely fastened to the sleeper, is the metal rail E, on which the carriage F has rolling bearing, said carriage being composed of body e, provided, respectively, with the upper and lower sets of groovedwheels e e2, that have respective bearing on the upper and lower edges of said rail. Insulated bearing-'Gis bolted to said carriage and supports the extremity of the iiexible coupling H, that connects with the operatingvehicle. Said coupling I form oblong in shape of braided or woven wire, and it has easy play through slot b'. On the inner side of lthe carriage I secure the current-collector, J,

the upper extremity of which projects into the conduit; Brushes j j respectively engage with conductors D D', and are attached on opposite sides of the current-collector. Wires lo 7a are respectively secured to the brushes, pass down through the collector, into and through the body of the carriage, and up through the coupling.

In my pendent. conduit (shown in Fig. 4) I secure the rails E E on either side of the conduit and form my carriage with adouble body portion F', each provided-with its upper and lower set of wheels e e', the formation of the conductors, brushes, collector, and coupling being similar to the form already described.

Fig. 5 illustrates a modified form of pendentv double conduit L L separated by the longi# tudinal bar M, to which the rails E E are secured on either side. This form I preferably use when currents of a high potential are used.

It is understood that may placey my conduit centrally between the rails instead of along the sleeper of one rail, as explained, and in that case the rail and cover of this conduit could not be formed integrally; but in any and all cases it is important that the conduit be located out of line with the slotted opening vin the cover, whereby rain, snow, &c., will be prevented from interfering detrimentally with the current and operating parts of the mechanism.

By forming the coupling of iexible material the sidewise movements and lurches of the car are not communicated to the carriage nor to the cables, and correspondingly less wear and tear are experienced. The carriage IOO being provided with wheels easily running on the rail, has little friction and requires little power to move it.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings set forth in detail mechanism in embodiment of my invention. Chan gc may therefore be made therein provided the principles of construction respectively recited in the following claims are employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my inventionl. In an electric railway, the combination of a trough provided with a longitudinal slot, a conduit and a rail located within said trough, an insulated conductor secured within said conduit, aeurrent-collector engaging with the conductor, a carriage having bearing on said rail and located out of vertical line with the slot of said trough, and a flexible connection connecting said conductor and operating-vehicle, substantially as set forth.

2. In an electric railway, the combination of a sleeper provided with a longitudinal groove, a conduit carrying a conductor secured partially within said groove, said conduitopen on its lower face only, and a rail projecting over and protecting said conduit, substantially as set forth.

3. In an electric railway, the combination of a sleeper, a conduit C, secured thereto, and a rail that projects beyond the `face of said sleeper, said rail provided with a downwardlyprojecting flange, a bolt securing said rail to said sleeper, said bolt provided with an opening, and a cotter fitting in said opening, substantially as set forth.

4. In an electric railway, the combination of a trough provided with a slot, a non-conducting conduit located therein, an insulated conductor secured within thelatter, a currentcollector en gaging with said conductor, and a coupling connected, respectively, with said cable and the operating-vehicle, said eouplin g being flexible where it passes through said slot, substantially as set forth.

5. In an electric railway, the combination of a troughprovided with a longitudinal slot, a conduit and a rail located within said trough, an insulated conductor secured wi thin said conduit, acurrent-collector engaging with the conductor, a carriage having bearing on said rail and located entirely within said trough, and a coupling engaging with said carriage and the operating-vehicle and flexible its entire length, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing to be my invention Ihave hereunto setmy hand this 27th day of June, A. D. 1888.

WILLIAM CANNELL.

Vitnesses:

E. J. CLIMo, J. FAV. 

